Op-ed by Peter Children –
I have been a “bundle buyer” with Mediacom since they first offered it to their customer base. This means, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, that I have subscribed to Phone, Cable and Internet. I have had this service for 15 years and to the best of my knowledge the pricing has been erratic at best. Mediacom blames this on a very changing landscape which could be a factor but never to the extent of $5.00 one way or another…..however Mediacom far exceeds that model.
Like many other of you, I signed a two year contract beginning about a year ago. At that time my monthly charge was $119.95 excluding whatever fees and taxes were applicable above that. Taxes are taxes fees are something else. How many of you know there are “fees” that are directed to a fund from which payments are extracted to collect from people who do not pay? How about that? The check I wrote today was for $184.56, less $14.63 which means my monthly fee to Mediacom has jumped $49.98….and I have a “locked in rate” excluding of course their right to raise my bill at will or whim. I then ask why my bill has risen to such heights considering my two years contract started much lower. At that point I was reminded I was still receiving discounts based on their original base rate.
Mediacom has informed me that all records before 2011 are not available…..how nice, if we could do that with our personal files our life would suddenly be far less complicated.
So let’s recap this bad dream; we are subject to a hefty penalty if we divorce ourselves from this monopolistic cable company….why? Because we are under contract; a contract that is horribly one sided. Our monthly charges are not “lock in” to anything other than quicksand. I was informed by a friendly young girl who was explaining the mathematical maneuverings of my ever changing monthly statements that while my monthly charges might be skyrocketing, I was still receiving promotional billings. Go figure. The answer was chilling….she went on to inform me that the “regular” rates are a couple bucks over $200.00. So the fact that my bill has increased $50.00 dollars a month ($600.00 a year) I should be grateful that I am still a short distance from the oven’s door.
Awhile back Mediacom virtually shut down for close to three weeks while, I was told, they changed servers. No one offered me compensation for that until I persisted, then I received a small credit….but my point is it was not offered without demand. The people who carry the load for these champions of contract construction, are first rate. The guys who came to my house to hook things up, the phone people who help with your questions are first rate…..but these are not the people who decide what you are going to pay each month. Do not confuse them with the real suits. These suits have me on tape verbally agreeing to all the terms and conditions since the Second World War ended in 1945. I says this to discourage any of you from thinking of going to court. You will not win.
I am a subscriber who has been steadfast for 15 years….paid my bills. Like you I often wonder how they can afford to offer new subscribers a $99.00 a month introductory offers that allegedly hold their place for a year….yet for people like ourselves, they have reserved a special place in bundle hell.
So what’s the answer? Word has it the the Clear Lake phone company is laying cable that will reach Mason City soon. I imagine this will offer high speed Internet; I am excited about that. Charter is a cable company that has yet to enter Iowa…invitations should be offered. But the most practical solution would be for this city to operate their own cable company. Research on google has shown many cities have done that. The results were profitable and at the same time brought appreciable lower rates.
Mediacom operates under a franchise offered by this city…..one long “hard look” needs to take place when the current agreement expires. This time we need a lawyer of our own present and a Mayor who is sober minded enough to think of others and not just himself. We need a council who actually care about those who live and work here…..I know that’s a stretch but it could happen if enough vote in the coming elections.
Peter J. Children
